--- title: Narges Mohammadi: Iran Is Still At War—With Its Own People description: Narges Mohammadi writes that decades of protest show Iranians are pushing for non-violent democratic change—and world solidarity could help make it real. canonical: https://time.com/7338618/iran-war-with-people-government-protests/ author: Narges Mohammadii article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-12-05T18:17:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:38:40.077Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Narges Mohammadi: Iran Is Still At War—With Its Own People og:description: Decades of protest show Iranians are pushing for non-violent democratic change—and the world’s solidarity could help make it real og:url: https://time.com/7338618/iran-war-with-people-government-protests/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab8f452397b1b699/6998cc2ce2d64b3189c5fe98/iran-people-war.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Anniversary Of Iran-Iraq War In Tehran og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Narges Mohammadi: Iran Is Still At War—With Its Own People twitter:description: Decades of protest show Iranians are pushing for non-violent democratic change—and the world’s solidarity could help make it real twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab8f452397b1b699/6998cc2ce2d64b3189c5fe98/iran-people-war.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Narges Mohammadi: Iran Is Still at War—With Its People > Sponsored content. 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Dec 5, 2025 6:17 PM UTC  A giant banner depicting the portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and portraits of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who are killed in Israeli attacks during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, hangs in southern Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 24, 2025. A giant banner depicting the portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and portraits of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who are killed in Israeli attacks during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, hangs in southern Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 24, 2025.Morteza Nikoubazl—NurPhoto/Getty Images by [Narges Mohammadii](https://time.com/author/narges-mohammadi/) ## Narges Mohammadii Human rights activist in Iran. She won the 2023 Nobel Prize for Peace while imprisoned for advocating for women's rights. Dec 5, 2025 6:17 PM UTC Even when no bombs are falling, the people of Iran do not experience what can truly be called peace since they live under a state that controls every aspect of their personal or public life. Their peace is disrupted by [surveillance, censorship, arbitrary arrest,](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/02/iran-authorities-unleash-wave-of-oppression-after-hostilities-with-israel) torture, and the constant threat of violence. It is eroded by an economy [hollowed out ](https://time.com/7202352/iran-islamic-revolution-regime-weakening-inside-syria/)by corruption and[ mismanagement](https://time.com/7210555/iran-shaky-regime/), by the strain of sanctions, by the daily anxiety of inflation, scarcity, and unemployment and by the relentless destruction of Iran’s environment. Peace is not the absence of war, but the ground on which everything else must stand: democracy, stability, economic growth, social change, and the possibility of a functioning civil society. But after the[ 12-day war](https://time.com/7294609/iran-israel-war-pictures-strike/), people in Iran found themselves caught at the intersection of the regime’s [war against its own people](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/09/iran-authorities-unleash-wave-of-oppression-after-hostilities-with-israel/), and war between the governments of the Islamic Republic and Israel. Dictatorship and war are two sides of the same coin, as pro-democracy and peace advocates declared in[ statements ](https://narges.foundation/no-to-war-no-to-foreign-powers-no-to-tyranny/)condemning the conflict. They called for a new political order: a secular, democratic government that genuinely represents the people of Iran, a free and fair referendum under international supervision by the United Nations, and the drafting of a new constitutional framework by an elected constituent assembly. They named clear, lawful mechanisms for a peaceful transition, grounded in international legal standards and Iran’s own democratic aspirations. Their united stance showed that a broad, collective national movement, rooted in civil society, human and women’s rights, and Iran’s diverse democratic traditions, has the capacity to steer the country toward a historic transformation. A transition that must be first of all peaceful, based on dialogue, accountability, pursuit of justice, and respect for universal civil human rights. Knowing that anything less–collapse, chaos, or armed conflict—would put millions at risk in an already fragile region. Iranians have consistently [demonstrated a commitment to non-violent ](https://time.com/6275538/iran-protests-eyewitness-report/)democratic movements. The country, after all, has always held multitudes. For thousands of years, it has been home to a mosaic of ethnicities, languages, and beliefs. Despite serious differences and political disagreements, the people of Iran have preserved long-standing traditions of coexistence, mutual respect, and communal life. And they have made it very clear that the regime has lost its legitimacy. For over four decades, Iranians [have pressed for ](https://time.com/6234429/iran-protests-revolution-history/)basic rights [through](https://time.com/5087339/iran-protests-expose-deep-fault-line-islamic-republic/) peaceful, democratic movements, from women’s marches [after the 1979 Revolution](https://time.com/7265646/iran-international-womens-day-narges-mohammadi-nobel/) to the [1999 student protests](https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/irans-1999-student-protests-hot-summer-shook-tehran), the 2009 [Green Movement](https://time.com/archive/6948840/latest-iran-protests-show-a-resilient-opposition/), the November 2019 demonstrations, and the [“Woman, Life, Freedom”](https://time.com/heroes-of-the-year-2022-women-of-iran/) uprising sparked by the killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini. The ongoing defiance of women and youth has[ shaken the foundations](https://time.com/6275538/iran-protests-eyewitness-report/) of the Islamic Republic, turning them into the regime’s worst nightmare. Those the regime tried hardest to silence became its most powerful challengers. The truth is, Iran is already in a transition. But transitions can move in many directions. The Iranian people have proved their courage. They have endured prisons, censorship, surveillance, bullets, and the loss of their children، yet they continue to fight. Not violently. Violence, whether imposed from outside or from within, is not the answer. What they ask for is not intervention, but recognition; not foreign armies, but international solidarity; not war, but peace. How can the world help? Like any government, the Islamic Republic responds to pressure. Change in Iran requires global pressure to end human rights violations, gender apartheid, and executions; to free political and ideological prisoners; and to enable the functioning of civil society institutions. We need the international community to rethink its approach to “change” in Iran, and lay the groundwork for a transition from authoritarianism to democracy. My message: Iran's National Opposition is working to end religious despotism and to help lead the transition from authoritarianism to democracy. To achieve this, support Iran’s civil society, independent media, and human rights and women’s rights defenders who are at the forefront of building a just and democratic future for their country. With global solidarity, democracy and peace are not just possible—they are within reach. The people of Iran are ready. 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